Christian Bale and the road to ‘Exodus’

Christian Bale (Photo by Lorenzo Agius)

Ridley Scott’s upcoming 3D film, “Exodus: God And Kings,” is one giant spectacle of computer generated plagues, a thundering host of digitally rendered Hebrew slaves, giant waves and more. The Biblically inspired story, at its heart, is a journey of two men who take different paths: the Pharaoh Ramses (Ramesses II) played by Joel Edgerton, and Moses played by Christian Bale.

Echoing that hard journey is the filmmakers’ own road to the movie’s completion, one that has been plagued with challenges – including the wave of criticisms on casting (white men playing the main roles of Hebrews and ancient Egyptians), the furor caused over some terms Bale used to describe Moses, and, as expected, issues of accuracy (Scott apparently looked to natural causes behind the depicted miracles). Bale, for his part, also underwent through some physical challenges in playing the sword-wielding Moses.

Bale as a bow-wielding Moses

For one, he had been in a motorcycle accident after first meeting with Scott roughly early last year. The actor had still been at work on “American Hustle” but had problems moving his wrist properly and was “not very agile” with his left arm.

“After the accident, I couldn’t do anything with my arm so it was an interesting thing. Suddenly I had to fire a bow and arrow and my arm was shaking like crazy because the nerves hadn’t grown back properly. But everything came good by the time we started filming – my nerves had grown back. The body is just phenomenal,” Bale marvels.

Before that, the Oscar winner (Best Supporting Actor for his role in “American Hustle”) had one thing in mind when offered the role. “I asked, ‘What, like sandals and swords? Or are you talking about some abstract modern retelling of the story?’ He (Scott) said, ‘No – sandals, swords, everything.’ I had to digest the whole ridiculousness of somebody asking me to play somebody as important as Moses, and consider that for a little while.”

His desire to work with Scott won over being initially stunned, but knows this puts him squarely in the face of public scrutiny. “I always love things where the odds are against you, and obviously I know that there are a lot of people who will be saying, ‘How dare he play this character?’”

Shooting for only 74 days, which Bale says “is very quick for a film like this,” his experience on set had been generally positive. Of Scott, he says, “He moves quickly, and I love that. He has a real momentum to him. He knows what he wants. I would give him more fanatical takes, or I would give him more impassioned, radical takes, and then I would give him slightly softer, more human takes, and he will choose whichever ones he wishes in the editing room.”

Bale with director Ridley Scott (right) on set

Bale relishes the fascinating story that makes “Exodus: God And Kings” a compelling watch, whether one is religious or not. “It’s about two brothers – not by blood, but by bond – who grow up together, but become absolute enemies, and surprise each other,” he notes. “It’s an unstoppable force and an immovable object. You’ve got one guy who is compelled by the voice of God telling him to liberate, and the other one, who has come to believe he is a god, and that sets up a wonderful confrontation.”

Still, he isn’t discounting the diverse reactions people will have to the movie. “Unfortunately, we can’t make this a six-hour long film, so you have to cut things, and that’s painful. There’s so much more that was shot that will never make it into the film,” he says. One one hand there will always be critics and skeptics – those that somehow forget movies are never the most accurate accounts of historical facts or, in this case, religious text – and on the other, the actor hopes there would be an audience that knows the story by heart but would be eager to see the film anyway.

“I didn’t have any particular clear picture of who Moses was from the get-go, beyond the basics,” he admits. “I read ‘The Five Books of Moses’ and was fascinated. Moses is one of the most complicated historical and religious figures. He was of course a liberator and a leader, but at a very violent time and a time of great change.” This, of course, puts in perspective the descriptions he may have used to describe Moses in previous interviews.

“He is someone who has had an extreme experience of the Divine,” he says of the leader. Bale may not be as blessed in that sense, but does know a thing or two about a calling.

“Exodus: Gods And Kings” opens in local cinemas nationwide on Dec. 5.

Christian Bale and the road to ‘Exodus’

Source: Mb.com.ph (December 01, 2014 at 07:59PM)

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